I could have died when hit by Brooks Koepka golf ball, says fan blinded at Ryder Cup

Koepka said he was 'all messed up inside' after his shot struck 49-year-old Corine Remande at the Ryder Cup last week

The Telegraph

Updated: October 5, 2018

U.S. golfer Brooks Koepka, right, reacts next to an injured spectator who fell during the fourball match on the first day of the 42nd Ryder Cup at Le Golf National Course at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, south-west of Paris on September 28, 2018. FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images

A woman blinded in one eye by Brooks Koepka’s wayward tee shot at the Ryder Cup demanded improvements in spectator safety and claimed that she could have died from her injuries.

Corine Remande, 49, who is considering suing organizers after being struck by the “bullet” shot last Friday, spared Koepka of blame, saying responsibility was with the Le Golf National marshals. Amid pressure on organizers to tell spectators to stand further away from hazardous holes, Remande said: “I hope that this terrible accident will improve safety for the public.”

The R&A, which organizes the Open, which will be held at Royal Portrush next year, has said it is already carefully planning viewing areas at the Northern Ireland venue to maximize spectator safety. Remande, from Egypt, was watching the action from behind the ropes when Koepka’s wayward drive at the par-four sixth hole struck her in the face. She said she did not hear any shouts of “fore.” “There are many marshals on the fairways and they have the responsibility to give us the information to react,” Remande told BBC News.

In an attack on Ryder Cup Europe, she said that she could have died. “For me, it’s finished. I could not speak with you,” she said.

Earlier Koepka said that he was “all messed up inside”, adding that injuring 49-year-old Remande would rank as one of the worst days of his life.

“It’s a tragic accident, I’m heartbroken,” Koepka told reporters at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews. “It will definitely be the one shot I regret in my career. It was one of the worst days of my life.”

Meanwhile, recriminations in the defeated US Ryder Cup camp erupted into another row as a non-playing member of the team launched a foul-mouthed tirade against Patrick Reed.

Brooks Koepka of the United States tees off during the morning fourball matches of the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National on September 28, 2018 in Paris, France.Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The anonymous team member was reported as saying Reed had “begged to play with Tiger” and was “full of s – t” after the outspoken player claimed he had been “blindsided” by beleaguered captain Jim Furyk.

The angry exchange, reported by USA Today, came amid claims the alleged spat between Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka stemmed back to the US team’s flight to Paris last week.

Golf Digest and French sports newspaper L’Equipe reported that the pair had an argument over Johnson’s fiancee, Paulina Gretzky. Koepka yesterday denied the rift.

U.S. golfer Brooks Koepka, right, reacts next to an injured spectator who fell during the fourball match on the first day of the 42nd Ryder Cup at Le Golf National Course at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, south-west of Paris on September 28, 2018.FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images

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